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90th Giro d'Italia - GT

Italy, May 12-June 3, 2007

Stage 18 - Thursday, May 31: Udine - Riese Pio X, 203 km

Complete live report

Live commentary by Gregor Brown

Live coverage starts: 14:20 CEST
Estimated finish: 17:05 CEST

14:22 CEST
Hello and welcome to stage 18 live coverage of the 90th Giro d'Italia. Today it is a dead-flat run from Udine to Riese Pio X. It is a westerly parcours skirting Treviso, home of Pinarello bicycles, and finishing just north of Castelfranco Veneto, home of Ronde van Vlaanderen Champion Alessandro Ballan. The altimeters will never jump above 90 metres today, and certainly not to the 1730-metre heights of yesterday's finish on Monte Zoncolan.

This stage favours the sprinters (sorry Leo); it is only one of two stages left for the fast-men to spread their wings. Cyclingnews notes Alexandre Usov (Ag2r Prévoyance), Alessandro Petacchi (Milram), Maximiliano Richeze (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare), Nikolai Trusov (Tinkoff Credit Systems) and Matteo Tosatto (Quickstep-Innergetic).

14:39 CEST
recap:
The riders started the push from Udine, just south of yesterday's mountain-top finish on Monte Zoncolan, at 12.23. All 142 riders that finished yesterday were present to start today. In the first 17.5 kilometres it was attack after attack. Chicken-man Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) opened up affairs with an attack in the first kilometre. Hungarian Champ Laszlo Bodrogi (Crédit Agricole) countered the Dane but by kilometre six, just short of S. Stefano Udinese, they were tacked back to the Gruppo Maglia Rosa (Di Luca's group).

To make up for a lack of Tinkoff representation in yesterday's mountainous romp, Pavel Brutt pulled the throttle back like he was Valentino Rossi. He resisted, from kilometre seven, for a few minutes but could not get any significant space.

14:41 CEST
Now, at 14.40, we can report on the average speed. The first two hours of racing has been run off at 47.050 km/h. (The average on the first hour was 48.600 km/h)

14:52 CEST
Recap: Brutt's brutish efforts made way for an attack by teammate Elio Aggiano and Josep Jufré (Predictor-Lotto) at kilometre 10. Bouygues Telecom nailed the two men back after four kilometres but it could not stop the counter-manoeuvre by Leonardo Scarselli (Quickstep-Innergetic), Marco Marzano (Lampre-Fondital), Koos Moerenhout (Rabobank) and YAT (Yet another Tinkoffer) Ricardo Serrano. The four held a 10" advantage for a couple of kilometres but then were nailed back at kilometre 20.

This capture set off a new round of artilleries. First by Giuseppe Palumbo (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo), at kilometres 25, then by Bouygues Telecom's Nicolas Crosbie (Stills, Nash and Young) at kilometre 30. Charles Wegelius (Liquigas) even had a slight moment of freedom, however, CSN&Y and then CW were captured before seven riders blasted away at kilometre 37.

14:58 CEST
We have pulled the Cyclingnews Ferrari over at a fuel station in Sacile, kilometre 99.1. I am going to go grab a gelato - I think I will go for a 'fragola.' It is around 22°C here, with partly cloudy skies.

15:07 CEST
The fuga del giorno is bidding its time off the Gruppo Maglia Rosa. The sprinters' teams will be full of angst after yesterday mountain romp and will not take 'escape' for an answer. Lead-out men, like Aussie Brett Lancaster and Irishman Roche, are going to work like mad to ensure their captains are ready for the kill on the two 16.5-kilometre circuits that end this stage.

The magic seven had 2'00" over the Milram-controlled peloton by kilometre 52. This gap was up to 2'30", the likely maximum today, by S. Vito Tagliamento, just after Wegelius pulled out of the Corsa Rosa. We will try to find out why Chuck had to buck this Giro.

Wegelius' departure brings the Liquigas green machine down to eight men and means that the race no longer has a squad with a full complement of soldiers.

15:19 CEST 128km/75km to go
The gap to our seven men is now 1'43". They are holding above 1'30" but that will likely get quashed in the next 20 kilometres.

15:24 CEST
Misha leads this move of six. He pulls off to the right and drifts back on the single file pace line.

We are very near the location of the 2008 CX World Championships course.

15:28 CEST 136km/67km to go
"Hello everyone," said Alessandro Ballan, who is here at the race and lives in Castelfranco Veneto. "I am saving my form, after the Classics for the Tour de France." Ballan is one of the nicest guys in international peloton and we were very happy to see him take the Ronde van Vlaanderen this year (sorry Hoste).

The gap is now at an even two minutes.

15:33 CEST 140km/63km to go
Along with Alexandre Usov (Ag2r Prévoyance), Alessandro Petacchi (Milram), Maximiliano Richeze (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare), Nikolai Trusov (Tinkoff Credit Systems) and Matteo Tosatto (Quickstep-Innergetic), there is Koldo Fernández (Euskaltel-Euskadi). The Basque boys are lending a hand to the chase. It is blue and orange up front as Euskaltel joins in with Milram.

The gap is now 1'44".

Yes, Bettini confirmed that he is planning on working for Tosatto today. Remember, Tosatto had that kick to win the Tour stage to Macon last year?

15:37 CEST
"Today will be an important stage for me. I hope that I can do something important, with Bettini working for me," said Matteo Tosatto (Quickstep-Innergetic) at the start.

"Today I won't go. We are in the home of Tosatto, he lives 300 metres from the finish. We hope to do something for him, it is just!" said Bettini.

15:41 CEST 147km/56km to go
"We have the men to work, along with Milram. We will see, there will be lots of attacks. It will truly be a difficult stage, even if is so flat," noted Angelo Furlan (Crédit Agricole) at the start.

15:46 CEST
The chase gruppo is slammed down the left side of the road, which means the winds must be blowing from the right.

Bettini is stretching his legs, getting ready to do his work for Tosatto.

15:50 CEST 154km/49km to go
"There still remains the crono of 43 kilometres, I have a good advantage but I will keep alert. The Maglia gives me force," said Maglia Rosa Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) at the start. He has practically had the leader's jersey since day one. Enrico Gasparotto took the first maglia and then it ping-ponged back and forth before 'The Killer' reigned.

"This Giro has interested me more than in years past because it has been more open and competitive," added Ballan.

The gap is now around 1'30".

15:53 CEST
Misha has such a low-profile style on his bike. His form reminds me of 'Il Gatto' Bartoli, however, his elbows are way out there, like he is in the middle of a group sprint.

The seven boys are enjoying a snack but they continue to drive the tempo.

15:59 CEST 160km/43km to go
We have received word from our German colleague Susan Westemeyer that "EZ" Erik Zabel has won today in the Bayern Rundfahrt and this could provide the extra motivation for Ale-Jet to romp the sprint proceedings in Pio X.